A Rockland restaurateur was arrested Aug. 6 and accused of bookmaking and extorting a client to collect gambling debts.
Federal prosecutors accused John Ciofalo of transmission of wagering information and extortionate debt collection, in a criminal complaint unsealed last week in U.S. District Court in White Plains.
Ciofalo entered a plea of not guilty on Aug. 7 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy.
The complaint does not name his restaurant, but news accounts of La Terrazza Restaurant Bar & Catering, New City, identify him as a partner.
Law enforcement agents in Rockland County have been investigating illegal gambling operations since 2018, according to the complaint filed by FBI Agent Karen Altieri.
In March 2019, a confid…
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